Source: www.southernco.com

SCRs remove nitrogen oxides from emissions at Plant Bowen, near Cartersville, Ga.

Catalytic Converter Technology

Electric power plants face stringent federal limits on emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), especially when they are located in clean air "non-attainment" areas. A new generation of sophisticated catalytic converter systems is now entering the market. At present the only use of catalytic converters in homes is in some wood stoves (where EPA has set emission standards since the early 1990s, although residential furnaces in some geographic areas with poor air quality have had to include technology for reducing NOx. Emission controls could become a requirement for various types of fuel burning residential appliances, particularly furnaces, boilers and water heaters, and possibly even fireplaces, as well as for lawn mowers and other equipment driven by small gasoline engines.

A number of conventional (platinum/palladium) catalyst systems are presently on the market. These are designed to cut CO and HC, but are ineffective for NOx. The most advanced cataltyic systems are "SCR" ("Selective Catalytic Reduction") systems, specifically designed to cut NOx emissions.

Contact:

Larry Monroe
Southern Company Services Inc.
Mail Stop 14N-8195
P.O. Box 2641
Birmingham, AL 35291-8195
Phone: (205) 257-7772
Fax: (205) 257-5367